World History Final Exam Terms – Flashcards
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democracy
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Idea that people can govern themselves
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monarchy
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Government controlled by one person
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Government
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System for exercising authority
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citizen
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adult male resident granted certain rights and responsibilities
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natural laws
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patterns and explanations of the world discovered through reason and intelligence
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senate
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Roman nobles who were lawmakers
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Socrates
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Greek philosopher who used questioning as a teaching tool
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republic
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Government in which citizens elect the leaders who make government decisions
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Twelve Tables
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An early collection of Roman laws
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Justinian Code
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A larger collection of all Roman laws which became guide on legal matters throughout Europe
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Judaism
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Religion of the Hebrews (Jews) Believed man was made in God's image
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Christianity
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Religion of the followers of Jesus (Christ)
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Ten Commandments
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Hebrew laws on ethics and morality
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Monotheist
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a religion with one God
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Apostle Paul
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writer of most of the books of the New Testament of the Bible
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Jesus
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Influential Jewish rabbi. Preached that people should love neighbors as self and love enemies too
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Rule of Law
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People are ruled by laws, not by kings. Even kings had to obey the laws
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Reasoning
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Using logic and observation to understand the world
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Tyranny
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Ruling without the correct motivation and authority. (Tyrant)
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"Philosopher Kings"
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Plato's ideal for rulers. Men of wisdom who would rule with reason for the good of the people
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Illegitimate
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One who rules for the wrong reason (self interest or greed)
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United Nations
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An international peacekeeping organization founded in 1945 to provide security to the nations of the world.
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Satellite Nations
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A nation that appears to be sovereign, but is actually under the control of another nation.
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Domino Theory
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The idea that if a nation falls under Communist control, nearby nations would also fall under Communist control.
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Superpower
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A state with a leading position in the international system and the ability to influence events and its own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect those interests.
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Space Race
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a heated competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, as each side tried to match or better the other's accomplishments in exploring outer space
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Brinkmanship
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A policy of threatening to go to war in response to any enemy aggression.
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Embargo
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The partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it.
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Iron Curtain
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The ideological and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas. Warsaw Pact nations on the east side and the NATO nations on the west and south.
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Non-aligned nations
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The independent countries that remained neutral in the Cold War competition between the US and the Soviet Union.
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Hardliners
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Conservatives politicians who opposed reform
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Ethnic cleansing
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A policy of murder and other acts of brutality by which Serbs hoped to eliminate Bosnia's Muslim population after the breakup of Yugoslavia.
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Cuban Missile Crisis
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A tense situation between USSR and USA over placing weapons near the US.
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Great Leap Forward
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under the leadership of Mao, it aimed to speed up economic development while developing a completely socialist society.
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Cultural Revolution
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An uprising in China led by the Red Guards, with the goal of establishing a society of peasants and workers in which all were equal.
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Aryans
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To the Nazis, the Germanic peoples who formed a "master race"
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Holocaust
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The mass slaughter of civilians, especially Jews, gypsies, and homosexuals
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Kristallnacht
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Night of Broken Glass" Violent attacks by Nazi storm troopers against the Jewish community on the night of November 9, 1938
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Refugee
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someone who has been forced to leave their country, especially during a war, or for political or religious reasons
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anti-Semitism
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Prejudice against Jews
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Ghettos
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A segregated area of a city where Jews were forced to live usually sealed off with barbed wire or stone fences.
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final solution
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Hitler's plan to protect racial purity by eliminating other races. included gypsies, Poles, Russians, homosexuals, the insane, the disabled, the incurably ill, and especially Jews.
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Genocide
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The systematic killing of an entire people
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the SS
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Hitler's elite security force that along with thousands of collaborators captured and executed millions during the war.
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Auschwitz
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the largest and most famous Nazi concentration camp in World War II, which was in Poland. Over a million people, mostly Jews, died in this camp.
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Internment
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the practice of keeping people in prison during a war or for political reasons, without charging them with a crime. The US interred over 30,000 Japanese-Americans from 1941-1946
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Appeasement
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Giving in to an aggressor to in order to avoid war
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Isolationism
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Not getting involved with other countries. Remaining neutral
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Axis Powers
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In WWII, the nations of Germany, Italy, and Japan, which had formed an alliance in 1936
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Third Reich
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New German Empire created by Hitler
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Munich Conference
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Meeting between Germany, France, Britain, and Italy. British PM Chamberlain gave in to Hitler's demands believing it would prevent war and establish a lasting peace
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non-aggression pact
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An agreement not to attack each other
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Blitzkrieg
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"lightning war" using fast moving airplanes and tanks, followed by massive infantry forces, to take an enemy by surprise
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Dunkirk
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A French port city on the English channel. Between May 26-June 4, 1940 British Royal Navy ships and civilian craft carried 338,000 soldiers to safety in Britain.
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Free French
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French forces who continued to fight against the Axis powers after the Franco-German Armistice in 1940
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Luftwaffe
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Germany's air force
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Lend-Lease Act
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1941 Act passed by Congress that would allow President Roosevelt to lend or lease arms and other supplies to any country vital to the United States.
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Atlantic Charter
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Declaration between Great Britain and America that upheld free trade among nations and self determination. Later served as the allies peace plan at the end of the war
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"island hopping"
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General MacArthur's plan to bypass the Japanese fortified islands and instead seize islands that were not well defended but were closer to Japan.
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Kamikaze
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Japanese suicide pilots who would sink Allied ships by crashing into them in their bomb filled planes.
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Demilitarization
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Disbanding armed forces at the end of the war
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Battle of the Bulge
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A 1944-1945 battle in which Allied forces turned back the last major German offensive of World War II.
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Battle of Midway
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1942 World War II battle between the United States and Japan, a turning point in the war in the Pacific
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Doolittle Raid
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Bombers took off from a carrier to bomb Tokyo. Minor damage inflicted, but scared Japan and encouraged USA.
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Pearl Harbor Attack
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Japanese attacked US fleet in Hawaii causing USA to enter WW2
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Battle of Britain
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Germans air force attacked cities in England. English pilots defended their land till Germans gave up.
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Czar
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a male ruler of Russia before 1917
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dictatorship
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government by a ruler who has complete power
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Bloody Sunday
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Incident in 1905 where Russian workers petitioned for rights and were fired upon by the czars soldiers killing 500-1000 unarmed people
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censorship
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to examine books, films, letters etc to remove anything that is considered offensive, morally harmful, or politically dangerous
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Rasputin
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Mystical faith healer and private adviser to the Romanovs. He became an influential figure when Csar Nicholas II took command of the army.
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Pograms
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Organized violence against the Jews
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March Revolution
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Incident in 1917 where women textile workers in Petrograd led a citywide strike, soon riots flared up over food and fuel shortages. Climaxed when soldiers refused to follow orders and joined the rebellion
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Trans-Siberian Railway
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Worlds longest continuous railway, connects European Russian cities in the west to Russian ports on the Pacific Ocean in the east
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Bolsheviks
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Marxist group that supported a small number of committed revolutionaries willing to sacrifice everything for radical change
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Provisional government
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Temporary government created after the czar stepped down
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Soviets
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Local councils consisting of workers, peasants and soldiers
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Red Army
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Bolshevik army, who are able to crush all opposition to Bolshevik rule
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Command economy
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A system in which the government makes all economic decisions
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Bolshevik Revolution
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Incident in November 1917 where Lenin and his supporters gained control of the major soviets, stormed the Winter Palace and arrested the leaders of the Provisional government
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Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
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Truce between Bolshevik government and Germany to stop all fighting on the eastern front and began peace talks. Russia surrenders a large chunk of territory to Germany.
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USSR
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Name given in 1922 after Russia is broken up into several self governing republics under the central government. Each republic was controlled from the new capital Moscow
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Stalin's Five Year Plan
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Goals that would promote rapid industrial growth and to strengthen national defense
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Communism
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The classless society that would exist after workers had seized power.
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Collective farms
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Large government controlled farms that produced food for the state
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White Army
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Russian opponents to the Bolsheviks, aided by United States
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Totalitarianism
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A government that takes total centralized state control over every aspect of public and private life.
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Kulaks
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Class of wealthy peasants that resisted government controlled. Many were sent to work camps or executed
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Great Purge
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Campaign of terror in which Stalin eliminated anyone who threatened his power
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Vladimir Lenin
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Founder of the Russian Communist Party, this man led the November Revolution in 1917 which established a revolutionary soviet government
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Josef Stalin
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"Man of Steel" . Bolshevik revolutionary, head of the Soviet Communist Party after Lenin's death.
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George Orwell
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author of Animal Farm
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The Balkans
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A region of South Eastern Europe with many different cultural groups
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Triple Entente
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A military alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia
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Triple Alliance
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A military alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy
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Mobilization
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the act of assembling and making both troops and supplies ready for war
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The Allies
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The nations of Great Britain, France, and Russia, along with the other nations that fought on their side.
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The Central Powers
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The nations of Germany and Austria-Hungary, along with the other nations that fought on their side.
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Militarism
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A policy of glorifying military power and keeping a standing army always prepared for war.
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Schlieffen Plan
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Germany's military plan at the outbreak of World War I, according to which German troops would rapidly defeat France and then move east to attack Russia
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Propaganda
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Information or material spread to advance a cause or to damage an opponent's cause
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Total War
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A conflict in which the participating countries devote all their resources to the war effort
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Chancellor
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the leader of the government or the main government minister of some countries
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Trench Warfare
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a method of fighting in which soldiers from opposing armies are in trenches facing each other
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Western Front
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The region of northern France where the forces of the Allies and the Central Powers battled each other
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Eastern Front
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The region along the German-Russian border where Russians and Serbs battled Germans, Austrians, and Turks
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Submarine Warfare
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The use of submarines to sink enemy ships
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Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
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The use of submarines to sink without warning any ship (including neutral ships and unarmed passenger liners) found in an enemy's waters
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Lusitania
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a British passenger ship that was sunk off the Irish coast in 1915 by the German navy during World War I. Some of the 1195 people who were killed were Americans. Made many Americans feel that the US should enter the war against Germany.
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Zimmerman Note
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Dispatch that instructed the German Ambassador to Mexico to offer a military alliance if the US entered the War. And would offer aid to gain back Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico
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conscription
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A military draft forcing people to fight
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Rationing
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The limiting of the amounts of goods people can buy -often imposed by governments during wartime, when goods are in short supply
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Armistice
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An agreement to stop fighting. Fighting stopped on 11/11 at 11:00 a.m.
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Self Determination
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The freedom of a people to decide under what form of government they wish to have
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Treaty of Versailles
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The peace treaty signed by Germany and the Allied powers after World War I
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Wilson's Fourteen Points
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A series of proposals in which the U.S. president outlined a plan for achieving a lasting peace after World War I
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League of Nations
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An international association formed after World War I with the goal of keeping peace among nations
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Reparations
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money paid by a defeated country after a war, for all the deaths, damage etc it has caused
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War guilt clause
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Portion of the Versailles treaty that blames only Germany for causing the war. Major cause of the rise of national socialism in Germany (NAZI Party)
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Eddie Rickenbacker
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Famous "ace" pilot who downed 26 enemy fighters in WWI
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Napoleon Bonaparte
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Military leader who siezed power in France
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coup d'etat
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a sudden takeover of a government
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Battle of Trafalgar
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British defeat of Napoleon's forces at sea. Lost to Admiral Nelson.
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blockade
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forced closing of ports
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scorched-earth policy
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Policy of burning fields and slaughtering livestock so enemy troops would find nothing to eat
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Waterloo
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Battle in Belgium that was Napoleon's final defeat. Lost to Duke of Wellington.
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Hundred Days
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Napoleon's last bid for power, which ended at Waterloo
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Congress of Vienna
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Meetings in Vienna for the purpose of restoring order to Europe
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balance of power
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condition in which no one country becomes a threat to the other
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legitimacy
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Giving power back to monarchs (kings)
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Old Regime
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System of feudalism
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First Estate
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Members of Catholic clergy (1%)
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Second Estate
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French nobility 1%)
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Third Estate
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French merchants, city workers and peasants (98%)
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Louis XVI
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weak King of France; eventually beheaded
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Marie Antoinette
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An Austrian princess who came to France and married King Louis XVI; eventually beheaded
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Estates General
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Assembly of representatives from all three estates
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Tennis Court Oath
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Promise by Third Estate Reps. to stay (in the tennis court) until they wrote a new constitution
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Great Fear
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Wave a panic through France
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emigres
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French nobles who fled from France during the peasant uprisings. They were very conservative and hoped to restore the king to power.
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guillotine
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machine designed to cut off heads humanely
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Maximilien Robespierre
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Jacobin leader who led the most radical phases of the French Revolution. Tried to wipe out all nobility. His execution ended the Reign of Terror.
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Reign of Terror
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the period, from mid-1793 to mid 17-94 when Maximilien Robespierre ruled France nearly as a dictator and thousands of Political figures and ordinary citizens were executed
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imperialism
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A policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries poitically, socially, and economically.
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racism
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Belief that one race is superior to another
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Social Darwinism
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The application of ideas about evolution and "survival of the fittest" to human societies - particularly as a justification for their imperialist expansion.
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Berlin Conference
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During European Imperialism, various European leaders met in Berlin, Germany to discuss plans for dividing Africa peacefully
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Shaka
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A Zulu chief in Southern Africa who used soldiers and good military organization to create a large centralized state.
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Boer
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Lasting from 1899 to 1902, Dutch colonists and the British competed for control of territory in South Africa.
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Great Trek
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A migration of Dutch colonists out of British-controlled territory in South Africa during the 1830s.
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Boer War
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Dutch colonists and the British competed for control of territory in South Africa.
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assimilation
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A policy in which a nation forces or encourages a subject people to adopt its institutions and customs.
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Menelik II
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Emperor of Ethiopia who played Italians, British, and French against each other while buying weapons from France and Russia. In the Battle of Adowa, Ethiopian forces successfully defeated the Italians and maintained their independence.
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geopolitics
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An interest in or taking of land for its strategic location or products
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Suez Canal
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A canal linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. It was a vital trade route in the British Empire during imperialism, and continues to link North Africa and Europe to Asia today.
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"jewel in the crown"
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the British colony of India--- so called because of its importance in the British empire, both as a supplier of raw materials and as a market for British trade goods
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Sepoy Mutiny
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an 1857 rebellion of Hindu and Muslim soldiers against the British in India. Upset about pork fat.
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Pacific Rim
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Southeast Asian mainland and islands along the rim of the Pacific Ocean
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Queen Liliuokalani
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Last Hawaiian ruler of Hawaii
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King John
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Raised taxes in England and punished his enemies without trial. The nobles forced John to sign a document of rights called the Magna Carta,
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Magna Carta
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A document that King John of England was forced to sign; it limited the King's powers
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Model Parliament
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A group established by King Edward that helped make the laws for England. Many other governments used this after him.
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Petition of Right
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A document that restricted King Charles' power. Most notably, it called for recognition of the writ of habeas corpus and held that only Parliament could impose new taxes.
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Writ of habeas corpus
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A court order requiring explanation to a judge why a prisoner is being held in custody.
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English Civil War
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A war between the English Parliament and Charles I, which established Parliament's supremacy over the monarchy. Charles gets executed.
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Oliver Cromwell
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Took over as Lord Protector of England after the execution of Charles. He used his army to control the government and constituted military dictatorship.
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William and Mary
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Ruled England after the Glorious Revolution that recognized the supremacy of the English Parliament. Signed the English Bill of Rights
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English Bill of Rights
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A Bill of Rights written after the Glorious Revolution. The bill created a constitutional monarchy and established Parliament as the ruling body of the nation. This is often regarded as a forerunner to the United States Bill of Rights.
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Glorious Revolution
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the parliament deposed King James II and gave the crown to the King William III, and Queen Mary II as joint rulers. They agreed to a Bill of Rights that severely limited the king or queen's power.
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Enlightenment
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An intellectual movement that started in Europe that used reason and knowledge to explain the world and society
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Social Contract
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An agreement between citizens and their government
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Natural Rights
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Rights that all people have. John Locke writes about these.
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Separation of powers
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Government's power is divided between 3 branches of government. Attributed to Barron de Montesqueiu.
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American Revolution
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The war between Great Britain and its American colonies, 1775-83, by which the colonies won their independence.
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representative government
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Government in which citizens elect officials who govern and make laws.
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federal system
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A government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments
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French Revolution
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Rebellion in which the French people overthrew their monarchy and made the country a republic. 1789
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United Nations
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An International organization established in 1945 whose goal was to secure peace around the world.
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Declaration of Independence
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1776 statement, issued by the Second Continental Congress, explaining why the colonies wanted independence from Britain.
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US Constitution
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"The supreme law of the land." Outlines structure & power of 3 branches of national government. Written to replace Articles of Confederation and create stronger central government.
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US Bill of Rights
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First ten amendments to the Constitution guaranteeing individual liberties and due process of law.
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Articles of Confederation
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A plan devised by the Continental Congress in November 1777 for forming the national government as a loose confederation of states. It made the central government very weak.
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John Locke
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English philosopher who believed that all people have natural rights (life, liberty, property) and that people had a right to overthrow an unjust ruler.
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Montesquieu
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French philosopher - argued for the separation of powers
